The conventional head stocking cap typically has an inherent problem of working its way loose from the wearer's head during use and especially so when the wearer's use involves sporting activities. This working loose of the stocking cap occurs from two basic inherent features of the stocking cap; being the frustoconical shape of the wearer's head, i.e. tapering conically inward from the ears upward, and the compressive nature of the stocking cap as against the wearer's head, this coupled with the low surface frictional aspect of smooth hair on the wearer's head from the ears upward goes to the stocking cap essentially “squeezing off” of the wearer's head in an upward manner. The squeezing off of the stocking cap is exacerbated by the wearer further engaging in sporting activities, i.e. rapid jerking movements in all three axes, such as during skiing, snowboarding, sledding, running, bicycling, rollerblading, walking, and the like. Of course this squeezing off of the stocking cap from the wearer's head varies by the particular shape of the wearer's head, either being somewhat tapered from the ears upward to highly tapered from the ears upward, also the coefficient of friction of the stocking cap to the wearer's hair, and the amount of inward compression circumferentially of the stocking cap as against the wearer's head, wherein higher compression results in a stronger tendency of the stocking cap to squeeze off of the wearer's head. Thus this squeezing off of the stocking cap from the wearer's head is at least inconvenient, and can possibly cause the loss of the stocking cap from the wearer's head.
This squeezing off problem has been recognized in the stocking cap arts by the introduction of a retaining extensions going from the bottom of each ear covering flap, wherein the pair of retaining extensions are secured together underneath the wearer's chin, thus preventing the stocking cap from squeezing off of the wearer's head upwardly, as evidenced by a typical “Snowboarder's” cap. Of course this style of stocking cap with the retaining extensions adds its own problems with chaffing and discomfort as against the wearer's chin and the hassle of tying and untying the retaining extensions.
On the circumferential compression of the stocking cap, as previously mentioned if it is high, the squeezing off of the cap is made worse, although there is some benefit in increasing the frictional force of the stocking cap as against the wearer's head; where the force against the hair is increasing by virtue of the normal force increasing from the cap to the head via the typical frictional force equation of frictional force=the coefficient of friction multiplied by the normal force. However, a negative in increasing the normal force of the stocking cap is increased discomfort for the wearer from increased pressure against their head that can cause headaches and the like.
In the prior art, there are a number of multi-functional type hats, an example would be in U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,477 to Dixon that has a removable visor that is nested within a flap, in addition to fold down ear extensions for added warmth. Also, in this same area of multiple purpose hats see U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,592 to Brooks that is a multi-configurable head wear unit that has an inner and an outer knit fabric tube with a removable visor that is attached through an opening in the inner tube to provide support for the visor in the annular space in-between the inner and outer tubes.
Further, in the prior art in the unique materials and layering area see U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,195 to Grandison that discloses an infant's hat for a newborn that is made of multilayered construction having a fabric layer such as cotton followed by an insulating plastic layer with an adhesive layer therebetween.
Also, in the prior art looking at the hats with openings, say for a hair ponytail, there are a number of different types, although most all of these are related to baseball type hats, which are a relatively thin layer of fabric that normally has very little stretch in it, as the baseball cap usually has an adjustable band in the lower back, or without the band being present, comes in multiple sizes to accommodate different wearer's head sizes. Some examples would be in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,145 to Stevenson et al., that has a crown opening in the top of the baseball cap for a ponytail, wherein the crown opening has a stowable plug that can cover the crown opening when not in use. Another prior art example in the area of baseball caps would be in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,334 to Griffith et al., that has a pair of hair pigtail openings that are closable when not in use via using flaps and hook and loop fasteners. A further example in this area of hair pony tail openings in baseball caps is in U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,566 to Scantlin that has the entire rear section of the baseball cap removed, basically creating the entire back half of the cap as a hair pigtail opening, while retaining the cap with the conventional adjustable band. Yet another prior art example in baseball caps for hair ponytail opening see U.S. Pat. No. 7,024,702 to Kronenberger that is similar to Scantlin, however, being more of a visor style in the rearward section of the cap, i.e. clamping semi-peripherally around the wearer's head with flexible extensions.
In a deviation from the baseball cap type hat with a hair ponytail opening, being more of a soft cap not having a visor see U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,255 to Douglas that has a multitude of folding flaps that attach to one another through hook and loop fasteners, wherein openings are created in the flap folds that accommodate a hair ponytail opening, although there would be some concern with the wearer's hair getting caught in the folds or the hook and loop fasteners causing wearer discomfort.
What is needed is a stocking cap with an aperture, however with the stocking cap being of knitted construction for comfort specifically relating to the circumferential compression of the stocking cap as against the wearer's head being better diffused as compared to fleece type material that is less flexible and therefore less adaptable to wearer's differing head sizes and shapes-especially since caps tend to come in just “one size fits all” which really isn't true at all. Further, the knitted stocking cap has the advantage of the ability to create an integral margin around the aperture via the use of the unique yarn weaving to form a smooth protrusion free exterior outer cap surface including the aperture, further this knitted margin is fully flexible or stretchable around the aperture which again adds to the comfort and flexibility available to the wearer as the size of the pony tail diameter will vary and the stretchable knitted margin makes inserting therethrough the aperture and removing the ponytail from the aperture that much easier.
Comparing this to the typical fleece material cap which is a combination of a polyester and spandex blend, wherein the base fleece material has a degree of flexible stretch, although in comparing the fleece stretch to the knit stretch, the fleece stretch is much more limited in strain or distance stretched and does not diffuse the stretching movement over nearly as much area as the knit stretch does, which leads to more wearer discomfort from the fleece having less stretching distance that is concentrated in a smaller area as against the wearer's head. This as compared to the knitted cap which has more stretching movement that is diffused over a larger area all leading to a lower unit area circumferential pressure against the wearer's head which means more comfort.
In addition, where the fleece has a margin, it requires a separate hem piece that is stitched onto the margin, in other words the fleece cannot just be cut on an edge and left that way, as the fleece has no way to create a self sealing edge from the integral fibers of the base material, as the knitted cap can uniquely stitch an edge with the base yarn material. This results in the fleece needing the separately stitched hem piece where ever there is an edge, this has several negative effects; firstly, it significantly affects the stretch ability of the fleece at the hemmed margin by restricting the stretch distance from both the tripling of fleece layers at the margin via the hem sandwiching the base fleece piece, which reduces the stretch distance by two-thirds. Secondly, further adding the stitching in this area of the hem to attach the hem to the base fleece piece also acts to reduce the stretching ability, even stretch (loose) stitching only reduces the stitching reduction of stretch ability, thus the fleece margin still is considerably more resistance to flexible stretching than the knitted cap.
As applied to the aperture in the cap, and specifically the aperture margin, the fleece cap will have significantly less stretch be at least two thirds than the knitted cap which results in the fleece cap having less accommodation of different diameter ponytails, also more difficulty in inserting through and removing from the aperture of the ponytail, in addition to the fleece having more circumferential pressure as against the head of the wearer adding discomfort due to the lower amount of stretch that is more area concentrated, resulting in the fleece cap being more uncomfortable to wear and more difficult to place the ponytail in through the aperture and remove the ponytail back out of the aperture.